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Friday, September 30, 2016

Justice Department Announces Nine Studies Focused on Approaches to Life-Saving Work Authorized by the Violence Against Women Act

Today the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against
Women (OVW) announced nine new research projects—the first in its Research and
Evaluation Initiative launched earlier this year.All nine awards focus on learning more about
effective approaches for doing the life-saving work authorized through the
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and examine specific issues related to
victims from underserved and marginalized populations.

The Research and Evaluation Initiative emphasizes
researcher-practitioner partnerships that can identify effective strategies and
lead to sustainable ways of responding to sexual assault, domestic and dating
violence and stalking, and reducing the harmful impact of these crimes on
victims and communities.

“These new research and evaluation studies are critical
because they focus on issues that are extremely understudied – such as
culturally-specific programs for Latina victims, the effects of victimization
on incarcerated women, restorative justice and gender bias,” said OVW Principal
Deputy Director Bea Hanson, Ph.D.“The
more we identify approaches and models that effectively work with specific
populations, the more effective we can be in helping victims find the justice
they need and deserve.”

OVW’s Research and Evaluation Initiative is developing a
comprehensive understanding of what we know about the effectiveness of
approaches funded by the VAWA and determine which practices require a closer
look and further study.

The nine studies are:

1. University of California, Los Angeles, $399,998: A study
of the effects of violence and victimization on incarcerated women and an
evaluation of a program designed to reduce the recurrence of violence and
victimization in their lives.

2. Washington University, $379,980: An evaluation of an
approach to using cognitive processing therapy in rape crisis centers.

3. Community Health and Social Services Center, $348,339: A
study of how a culturally-specific program for Latina victims of domestic and
sexual violence meets victims’ self-defined needs.

4. University of New Hampshire, $398,857: A study of a
trauma-informed residential program for victims of domestic violence who
struggle with substance use disorders.

5. International Rescue Committee Inc., $314,666: A study of
the experiences, service needs and help-seeking strategies of refugees,
asylum-seekers and other newly-arrived immigrants who are victims of domestic
violence and sexual assault.

6. University of Kentucky Research Foundation, $499,999: An
examination of the healing and self-sufficiency benefits of an
agriculture-based program for residents of a domestic violence shelter.

7. Portland State University, $400,000: A study of patterns
and disparities in the family court experiences of litigants from cultural and
linguistic minority groups.

8. Sam Houston State University, $393,049: An evaluation of
a training program for all sworn law enforcement personnel in an urban police
department on the Justice Department’s guidance on gender-bias policing.

9. Fund for the City of New York, $271,720: A survey of
programs that use restorative justice to address domestic violence and the
development of guidelines for these programs.Restorative justice seeks to rehabilitate offenders through reconciliation
with the people and communities they have victimized.

* * *

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity
to reduce violence against women through the implementation of VAWA and
subsequent legislation.Created in 1995,
OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the
country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.In addition to overseeing 21 federal grant
programs, OVW often undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified
by communities facing acute challenges.